State at Stake

Friday

Dec 1, 2006 at 12:01 AMDec 1, 2006 at 7:10 AM

By Stan VeitchTimes Sports Writer

There will be no strangers when Cedar Bluff meets Ragland tonight in the Class 1A high school football semifinals.The teams have already played this year- a 20-14 overtime win by Cedar Bluff in Week 10 - so there won't be much mystery."The main thing about already playing is that we both know what the other does well," said Tiger coach Jonathan McWhorter. "When you play someone you don't know, you wonder if what you see on film is the real thing. For instance, a team may send a tape of a blowout where their starters only played a few snaps or where the starters stayed in but practiced unusual plays for them."I wouldn't say it's easier to play someone you know, but it gives both sides a positive, because you have a good idea what they're capable of."While the teams will have an inkling of what to expect, Purple Devil coach Brian Mintz doesn't think it'll make that much of a difference."They're going to do what they do best and we're going to do what we do," Mintz said. "Whoever makes the fewest mistakes should come out on top."Both teams have made a habit of making the playoffs, then having troubles.Both turned it around this year, making the semifinals for the first time."Winning is contagious," McWhorter said. "If you make the playoffs several years in a row, none of the kids want to be the ones who don't make it."Then when the playoffs hit, anything is possible.Ragland entered the postseason as a No. 3 seed, upsetting Gaston in the first round."When the playoffs start, anything can happen," Mintz said. "We made some mistakes early in the season and lost a couple of games we could've won. Our defense has gelled and has been playing spectacular of late."Mintz also pointed to his offensive line as a strength."Those kids have been dedicated all season," he said. "I don't think those few kids have missed a day of practice since summer."They are a very solid base to build on."McWhorter wasn't as firm on one area of his team, but said the entire squad has done everything asked of it."Everyone had a lot of expectations of us this year," he said. "For that matter, we had some high expectations of ourselves and I think the kids have done a good job handling that."We've managed to focus on the things we can control."

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